Amorphous metal hot electron transistor

ABSTRACT

Amorphous multi-component metallic films can be used to improve the performance of electronic devices such as resistors, diodes, and thin film transistors. An amorphous hot electron transistor (HET) having co-planar emitter and base electrodes provides electrical properties and performance advantages over existing vertical HET structures. Emitter and the base terminals of the transistor are both formed in an upper crystalline metal layer of an amorphous nonlinear resistor. The emitter and the base are adjacent to one another and spaced apart by a gap. The presence of the gap results in two-way Fowler-Nordheim tunneling between the crystalline metal layer and the amorphous metal layer, and symmetric I-V performance. Meanwhile, forming the emitter and base terminals in the same layer simplifies the HET fabrication process by reducing the number of patterning steps.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to microelectronic devices that includethree terminal devices having one or more layers of an amorphous metalfilm.

Description of the Related Art

Amorphous metals are rigid solid materials whose atomic structure lackslong-range periodicity that characterizes crystalline materials. In anamorphous metal, formation of crystalline planes is suppressed, forexample, by incorporating two or more components. An example of anamorphous metal having four components—zirconium, copper, aluminum, andnickel—is Zr₅₅Cu₃₀Al₁₀Ni₅, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,436,337.Amorphous metals can be identified by their resistivity measurements,which have shown that an amorphous metal material, while stillconductive, has about ten times greater resistivity than its crystallinecounterpart. Amorphous metals also have smoother surfaces thancrystalline metals, as indicated by root mean square (RMS) surfaceroughness measurements.

Amorphous multi-component metallic films (AMMFs), in the range of about10-200 nm thick, can be used to improve the performance of electroniccomponents such as resistors, diodes, and thin film transistors. Manydeposition techniques that are well known in the art can be used to formAMMFs. For example, the exemplary amorphous metal noted above,Zr₅₅Cu₃₀Al₁₀Ni₅, is an AMMF and can be formed on a substrate byconventional sputter deposition using four different metal targets. Itis understood by those skilled in the art of thin films that theinterfacial properties of AMMFs are superior to those of crystallinemetal films, and therefore electric fields at the interface of an AMMFand an oxide film are more uniform.

For example, such uniformity has produced superior current-voltage (I-V)characteristic curves for metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes andtransistors that exhibit Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. The tunneling MIMdiodes incorporate an AMMF as a lower electrode, and a crystalline metalfilm as an upper electrode. The two different electrodes are separatedby a single dielectric barrier that provides a tunneling pathway forcharge carriers to move between the electrodes. The presence of thesingle dielectric barrier results in a current response that depends onthe polarity of the applied voltage. Such a current response can bereferred to as one-way tunneling because at a specific voltage thecharge carriers in the device are only tunneling in one direction. Thatis, tunneling occurs either from the lower electrode to the upperelectrode, or from the upper electrode to the lower electrode, accordingto the polarity of the applied voltage. Various diode and transistorapplications of AMMFs are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,436,337 and8,822,978.

Amorphous metal thin film non-linear resistors (AMNRs), having superiorperformance to existing thin film non-linear resistors, are discussed inU.S. Pat. No. 9,099,230 and PCT Patent Application No. WO2014/074360.Such AMNRs are of interest, in part, because their current response isindependent of the polarity of the applied voltage, which is not truefor other thin film resistors. This polarity independence is due to thepresence of two dielectric barriers, wherein the charge carriers at eachbarrier are forced to tunnel in substantially opposite directions. AMNRscan be described as exhibiting two-way tunneling because, in response toan applied voltage, the charge carriers in the device tunnel in bothdirections across the barriers. That is, tunneling occurs from the upperelectrode to the lower electrode and from the lower electrode to theupper electrode, regardless of the polarity of the applied voltage. Suchpolarity-symmetric AMNRs may provide improved signal control in liquidcrystal display (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) displaytechnologies and electromagnetic sensor arrays.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to active electronics formed on asupport substrate that is not necessarily a semiconductor substrate.

An AMNR can be constructed as a three-layer structure, similar to theAMMF diode described above, in which an amorphous metal layer is formedon a substrate; a tunneling insulator, e.g., an oxide layer, is formedover the amorphous metal layer; and a crystalline metal layer is formedon top of the oxide. However, in the case of the AMNR resistor asopposed to a MIM diode, both the amorphous and crystalline metal layersare patterned into finger-shaped electrodes that overlap one anotheronly in selected areas, which are active areas. When a voltage isapplied between two top metal fingers, a tunneling current flows fromthe top metal layer, through the underlying amorphous metal layer, andback up to the top metal layer. By modifying the patterns of the metalelectrodes relative to one another, additional active areas can becreated, and tunneling from the top metal layer down to the amorphousmetal layer and then back up to the top metal layer can be forced tooccur more than once. Alternatively, by modifying the patterns of themetal electrodes relative to one another, the shape and size of theoverlapping areas can be modified. Each of these modifications allowsthe I-V performance characteristics of an AMNR resistor to be adjustedwithout modifying the tunneling dielectric.

HET structures include two substructures. An emitter-base substructureis formed by the emitter electrode, tunnel dielectric, and baseelectrode. A base-collector substructure is formed by the baseelectrode, collector dielectric, and collector electrode. Theemitter-base substructure is responsible for generating the hotelectrons via tunneling. The base-collector substructure collects thegenerated hot electrons at the collector electrode. Hot electrongeneration and collection can each be controlled independently byvoltages applied to their respective electrodes. Existing vertical HETstructures that incorporate amorphous metals use the amorphous metallayer directly as an emitter electrode, which is stacked vertically inline with the base and collector electrodes, separated by theirrespective dielectrics. This forms an emitter-base substructure thatacts as an amorphous metal MIM and has an asymmetric current voltageresponse due to one-way tunneling. This type of vertical HET isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,436,337.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an amorphous hot electrontransistor (HET) having co-planar emitter and base electrodes provideselectrical properties and performance advantages over existing verticalHET structures. According to one embodiment of a HET structure, theemitter and the base terminals of the transistor are both formed in anupper layer of an AMNR. The emitter and the base are adjacent to oneanother and spaced apart by a gap. The presence of the gap ensures thattwo-way Fowler-Nordheim tunneling will occur between the uppercrystalline metal layer and the lower amorphous metal layer. The HETfurther includes a collector dielectric layer and a collector electrodeformed on the dielectric layer. Front side contacts can be made byforming vias through the collector dielectric layer to the emitter andbase terminals.

During operation of the amorphous metal HET emitter-base substructure,electrons flow downward from the crystalline metal layer to theamorphous metal layer, across the amorphous metal layer, which serves asa transport layer, and then back up to the crystalline metal layer. Sucha U-shaped current path produces, for a transistor, a symmetriccurrent-voltage (I-V) characteristic for the base-emitter substructurethat is similar to the symmetric I-V performance that characterizesexisting AMNR diodes. In other words, an advantage that is afforded bysuch symmetry is now extended from a two terminal device to a threeterminal device. Furthermore, by modifying the patterns of the amorphousmetal transport layer, the emitter, and the base electrodes, the I-Vperformance characteristics of an emitter-base substructure can beadjusted without modifying the tunneling dielectric. This strategy hasadditional advantages for HET devices over AMNR devices in thatFowler-Nordheim tunneling must be maintained to generate hot electrons,but is sensitive to dielectric thickness and material changes.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, performance of theHET device can be tuned by sizing the base and emitter electrodes. Thewidths and depths of the base and emitter electrodes are each desirablyin the range of about 5-100 μm. The gap between the co-planar base andemitter electrodes is desirably in the range of about 1-5 μm. Thecollector electrode width and depth dimensions are also desirably in therange of 5-100 μm. The amorphous metal thickness for the HET device isdesirably in the range of 10-100 nm. The thickness of the tunnelingdielectric for the HET device is desirably in the range of 4-15 nm. Thebase and emitter electrode thicknesses for the HET device are each inthe range of 10-30 nm. In other embodiments, the thickness of the baseand emitter electrode may be as thin as a single layer or a few layersof crystalline conductors. For example, one or more of the electrodesmay be a 2D conductor, such as MoS₂, that is a monolayer. Suchmonolayers may be in the range of 0.6-0.8 nm. The collector dielectriclayer on top of the HET has a thickness desirably in the range of about10-50 nm.

Forming the emitter and the base in the same layer simplifies thefabrication process by reducing the number of lithography and etchingsteps required, compared with previous HET designs. In particular, thesimplified process is suitable for integration into existingmanufacturing processes used for LCD and OLED displays.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements.The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

FIGS. 1A-1C are top and cross-sectional views of an amorphous metal thinfilm transistor structure according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 1D is a method of forming the amorphous metal thin film transistorstructure of FIGS. 1A-1C;

FIGS. 2A-2C are top and cross-sectional views of an alternativeembodiment of an amorphous metal thin film transistor structureaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A-3C are top and cross-sectional views of an amorphous metal thinfilm transistor structure according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3D is a method of forming the amorphous metal thin film transistorstructure of FIGS. 3A-3C;

FIGS. 4A-4C are top and cross-sectional views of an amorphous metal thinfilm transistor structure according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 5A-5C are top and cross-sectional views of an amorphous metal thinfilm transistor structure according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of atransistor structure of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of atransistor structure of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are circuit schematics incorporating transistors ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are a single stage common emitter amplifier circuitand a related signal representation;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are circuit schematics incorporating transistors of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a transistor structure of the present disclosure in an arrayfor a display;

FIG. 15 is an liquid crystal display circuit that includes an AMHET; and

FIG. 16 is an organic light emitting diode circuit that includes anAMHET.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of thepresent disclosure are described herein for purposes of illustration,various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure.

In this description, certain specific details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter. However, the disclosed subject matter may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, well-known structuresand methods of integrated circuit processing comprising embodiments ofthe subject matter disclosed herein have not been described in detail toavoid obscuring the descriptions of other aspects of the presentdisclosure.

Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

The present disclosure is directed to various implementations of a threeterminal electronic device that can function as a transistor that usesamorphous metal thin films. Amorphous metal thin films, used inconjunction with a tunneling insulating layer create transistorfunctions without the complexity of standard, silicon based transistors.Such amorphous metal hot electron transistors can be formed on anynumber of support substrates, giving flexibility to designers withregard to the types of materials and products that can incorporatetransistors, i.e., active circuitry.

Many aspects of our lives are benefited by utilizing ever smallerelectronic devices that are built on semiconductor substrates. Theseinclude televisions, mobile electronic devices, like cellular phones,smart phones, tablet computers, and wearable electronics, like smartwatches and pedometers. The transistors built on semiconductorsubstrates are limited by the materials used to form these circuits,i.e., silicon or other semiconductor wafers. The same amazingapplications can be further expanded and improved by using new types ofsupport substrates, such as flexible polymers. The potentialapplications are endless.

These transistor structures can be incorporated in displays to make themlighter and faster. As these will be very light, these may be wearabledisplays, integrated into internet-of-things applications, or beintegrated in to medical devices. These transistor structures can beused to form high-performance analog devices or digital devices as theend application dictates.

The amorphous metal hot electron transistors described in thisdisclosure open up the doors to countless applications ofnon-semiconductor based transistors. As will be described in thisdisclosure, semiconductor materials can be utilized, however thetransistor structures themselves are not based on doping a silicon waferand instead incorporate forming amorphous metal thin films on any numberof support substrates.

For example, a first embodiment of an amorphous metal hot electrontransistor is described with respect to FIGS. 1A-1C, which are top andcross-sectional views of an amorphous metal thin film transistorstructure 100 formed on a support substrate 102. The structure 100includes an amorphous metal interconnect 104 on the support substrate102 and a first tunneling insulator 106 on the amorphous metalinterconnect 104. A first electrode 108 and a second electrode 110 areon the first tunneling insulator 106. The first and second electrodes108, 110 overlap the amorphous metal interconnect 104. A third electrode112 overlaps the second electrode 110 and is separated from the secondelectrode by a second insulator 114.

This structure includes a first terminal 121 coupled to the firstelectrode 108. A second terminal 122 is coupled to the second electrode110. A third terminal (not shown) may be included to couple the thirdelectrode 112 to another electronic device. The first and secondterminals 121, 122 can be formed at the same time as the thirdelectrode. Alternatively, the first and second terminals are formed in asubsequent processing step as forming the third electrode.

This amorphous metal thin film transistor structure 100 operates like atransistor by adjusting an electric field applied to the first electrode108, the second electrode 110, and the third electrode 112. The firstelectrode 108 can be an emitter electrode, the second electrode 110 canbe a base electrode, and the third electrode 112 can be a collectorelectrode. The transistor structure 100 can be operated incommon-emitter mode, common-base mode, or common collector mode. SeeFIGS. 8, 9, and 10 below.

Electrons tunnel from the first electrode 108, the emitter electrode,through the first tunneling insulator 106 to the amorphous metalinterconnect 104 in response to an applied voltage through the firstterminal 121. The electrons travel through the amorphous metalinterconnect 104 and the first tunneling insulator 106 to the secondelectrode, the base electrode. These electrons are considered “hot” whenthe tunneling has finished because their energy is above the Fermienergy of the second electrode 110, the base electrode.

By adjusting an electric field across the second insulator 114, fewer orgreater numbers of these “hot” electrons can be collected at the thirdelectrode 112, thus allowing the flow of current through the transistorstructure 100, see the dashed line 123.

Unlike typical transistor structures, the amorphous metal transistorstructures can be operated in a reverse mode, such that the electronsmove from the third electrode 112 to the first electrode 108 via thesecond electrode 110 and the amorphous metal interconnect 104. In thisreverse mode, the transistor structure 100 functions like a tunnelingdiode with an adjustable threshold voltage and asymmetry. The adjustablethreshold voltage and asymmetry are achieved by modulating the electricfield applied to the second electrode 110 in combination with theelectric field applied from the first electrode 108 and the thirdelectrode 112.

FIG. 1D is a method of forming the amorphous metal thin film transistorstructure of FIGS. 1A-1C. The method includes forming an amorphous metallayer on a first surface 128 of the support substrate 102 at step 130.The amorphous metal layer can be formed by any suitable amorphous metal.Examples of types of amorphous metals are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.8,436,337, 8,822,978, 9,099,230 and PCT Patent Application No.WO2014/074360.

The support substrate 102 can be any one of a variety of materials, suchas a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, silicon or othersemiconductor substrate, or a flexible substrate. The support substratecan be a non-conducting substrate, which is more cost effective thansilicon or semiconducting substrates. For example, the support substratecould be aluminum borosilicate glass, fused silica, or other suitablenon-conducting materials. If the substrate is conductive, an insulatormay be formed on the top surface of the substrate between the topsurface and the first electronic component formed on the substrate. Forexample, if a silicon or semiconductor substrate is used a native oxideor other insulator is formed on the surface of the substrate to isolatefrom the silicon, to ensure non-conductivity.

The materials of the support substrate 102 can be selected by themanufacturer based on the end application of the transistor structure.For example, if the transistor structure is incorporated with an arrayof transistor structures, the array could be implemented within a liquidcrystal display. Other end applications include wearable electronics.The support substrate 102 can be transparent or non-transparent, such asthose that can be used in some reflective displays.

Manufacturing on non-conducting flexible support substrates can reducemanufacturing costs significantly. Such substrates can enableroll-to-roll manufacturing of transistors. Such manufacturing changescan redefine the electronic supply chain.

After forming the amorphous metal layer, the method includes forming theamorphous metal interconnect 104 at step 132. This includes removingexcess portions of the amorphous metal layer. The surface 128 is aplanar surface onto which the amorphous metal layer is formed. Thisplanar surface in conjunction with the homogenously smooth surfaces ofamorphous metal layers, allow the amorphous metal interconnect 104 tohave a surface 130 that is homogenously smooth, which results in fewersurface imperfections. This is in comparison to crystalline metals.Surface imperfections in crystalline metals cause inhomogeneity in theelectric field, which can lead to failure of the electronic device.

The forming of the amorphous metal layer may include any film-formingtechnique such as sputtering, solution deposition, or electron-beameddeposition. For example, multi-source RF (or DC) magnetron sputteringusing elemental or mixed composition metal targets of Zr, Cu, Ni, and Almay be employed. Sputter deposition affords a distinct manufacturingadvantage over similarly smooth semiconductors deposited using advancedepitaxial technologies such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) ormetal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

As described above, portions of the amorphous metal layer are etched orotherwise removed. In other embodiments, the amorphous metal layer maynot be etched and instead deposited in the shape suitable for theapplication. The amorphous metal layer can be deposited at roomtemperature via sputtering and can maintain the amorphous and smoothproperties in subsequent heating steps.

At 134, the method includes forming the first tunneling insulator 106 onthe amorphous metal interconnect 104. The first tunneling insulator canbe a very thin layer, such as a 10 nanometer or less aluminum oxidedeposited by atomic layer deposition. Other alternatives are available,such as any metal oxide or nitride that can be formed to be very thin.The first tunneling insulator 106 is sufficiently thin to enabletunneling and the generation of hot electrons. The tunneling insulatorcan be any suitable insulator, including an oxide, a nitride, siliconnitride, metal oxides, etc.

In this method, the first tunneling insulator 106 is formed as aconformal layer in a blanket deposition. This is the simplest, most costeffective manufacturing option, however, the first tunneling insulator106 may be patterned as suitable for the end application of thetransistor structure.

At 136, the method includes forming the first electrode 108 and thesecond electrode 110 on the first tunneling insulator 106. These are theemitter and base electrodes. Each of the first and second electrodesoverlaps the amorphous metal interconnect 104. In the top down view ofFIG. 1A, the first and second electrodes are transverse orperpendicularly arranged with respect to the amorphous metalinterconnect. Other orientations are possible. In order to achieve theelectron movement, the electrodes will overlap the amorphous metalinterconnect in some way.

The first and second electrodes can be crystalline metals or othersuitable conductors. In one embodiment, the material can be apolysilicon, metals, semiconductor materials, or highly conductivealuminum based materials. These electrodes could be atomically thin,such as graphene layers.

In one embodiment, the first electrode 108 is formed at the same time asthe second electrode. This can be by a blanket deposition and then anetch. As such, the first and second electrodes have the same thicknessand material properties. In an alternative embodiment, the firstelectrode 108 is a different conductive material than the secondelectrode. In this embodiment, the first and second electrodes may beformed in different steps. The first and second electrodes can havedifferent thicknesses, different material properties, and differentdimensions that depend on the product in which this transistor isincorporated. If the emitter electrode has different material propertiesthan the base electrode, such as electron work function, then there maynot be symmetrical conduction due to the differences. This is acceptablein some end use cases.

At 138, the method includes forming the second insulator 114 on thefirst and second electrode 108, 110. The second insulator 114 covers allexposed surfaces and is ideally conformal. Opening 116, 118 expose asurface of the first and second electrodes 108, 110 to which electricalconnections are made. The second insulator can be any suitableinsulator, including an oxide, a nitride, silicon nitride, metal oxides,etc.

At 140, the method includes forming the third electrode 112 on thesecond insulator 114. The third electrode 112 is formed from aconductive material that also forms the terminals 121 and 122. Thisconductive material can be conformally deposited and etched to form thethird electrode 112 and the terminals 121, 122. The terminals 121, 122couple to the first and second electrodes and provide a connection toanother device, such as another transistor, an LED, or other electroniccircuitry.

Subsequent steps can include forming a third insulator 126 on the thirdelectrode 112 and planarizing a surface of the third insulator 126.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are top and cross-sectional views of an alternativeembodiment of the present disclosure that includes a first transistor202 and a second transistor 204 formed from a single amorphous metallayer 206.

The amorphous metal layer 206 is formed on a support substrate 208 thatis non-conductive or includes an insulator (not shown) on the substrateto isolate the substrate from the amorphous metal layer. A tunnelingoxide layer 210 is formed on the amorphous metal layer 206. A firstelectrode 212 and a second electrode 214 are formed on and are coplanaron the tunneling oxide, with portions of the first and second electrodesoverlapping the amorphous metal layer 206.

A dielectric layer 218 is formed on the first and second electrodes 212,214. A third electrode 220 and a fourth electrode 222 are formed on thedielectric layer 218. Portions of the third electrode and the fourthelectrode overlap and are aligned with the amorphous metal layer and thefirst and second electrodes, respectively. The third and fourthelectrodes are formed from a same material at a same time. Contacts 224and 226 can also be formed at the same time as the third and fourthelectrodes. The contact 224 couples to the second electrode 214 throughthe dielectric layer and the contact 226 couples to the first electrode212 through the dielectric layer.

A first active area 228 of overlap of the amorphous metal layer 206, thefirst electrode 212, and the third electrode 220 forms is whereelectrons can pass to and from the first electrode 212 and the amorphousmetal layer 206. There is a second active area 230 that corresponds tothe overlap of the amorphous metal layer 206, the second electrode 214,and the fourth electrode 222. This second active area 230 is whereelectrons can pass to and from the second electrode 214 and theamorphous metal layer 206.

The first electrode 212 and the second electrodes 214 correspond to anemitter and a base, respectively. The third and fourth electrodes 220,222 are collector electrodes. These two collector electrodes form twotransistors with a shared base-emitter structure. This two transistorstructure can be formed by the same method as the transistor structure100, which the difference being simply leaving more of the conductivelayer when forming the third electrode.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are top and cross-sectional views of a transistorstructure 300 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.The transistor structure 300 includes an amorphous metal film 302 formedon a substrate 304. A tunneling insulator 306 is on the amorphous metalfilm 302.

In one area 308, the tunneling insulator 306 is thinned or otherwisepatterned to have a different thickness than other areas of thetunneling insulator 306. The operational properties of the transistorstructure 300 are tuned by adjusting the thickness of the tunnelinginsulator. If the tunneling insulator has been selectively thinned inone active area there may not be symmetrical conduction through theemitter-base structure due to the different thicknesses. This isacceptable in some end use cases.

A first electrode 310 is formed to overlap the amorphous metal film 302and is separated from the amorphous metal film 302 by the tunnelinginsulator 306 having a first thickness 312. A second electrode 314,which may be the same material as the first electrode and formed in asame processing step or may be a different material formed at adifferent time, is formed to overlap the amorphous metal film 302. Thesecond electrode 314 is spaced from the first electrode 310 and isgenerally in a parallel orientation with respect to the first electrode.

The second electrode 314 is separated from the amorphous metal film 302by the tunneling insulator 306 having a second thickness 316, which isless than the first thickness. The behavior of the electrons passing toand from the first electrode to the amorphous metal film 302 will bedifferent from the behavior of the electrons to and from the secondelectrode to the amorphous metal film 302 as a result of the differentthicknesses. For example, the patterned tunneling insulator can minimizeparasitic capacitance that can form at the areas of overlap of the firstand second electrodes with the amorphous metal film. As such, thetunneling insulator can be patterned in the area of overlap of any oneof the electrodes as the manufacturing and end product may dictate.

An insulator 318 is formed on the first and second electrodes 310, 314.A third electrode 320 is formed on the first and second electrodes.Formed at the same time as the third electrode 320, contacts 322, 324are formed to couple to the second electrode and the first electrode,respectively.

FIG. 3D is an exemplary process flow of making the transistor structure300 of FIGS. 3A-3C. At step 326, the process includes forming anamorphous metal film on the substrate 304. At step 328, the processincludes forming an emitter-base interconnect from the amorphous metalfilm. This emitter-base interconnect is the amorphous metal film 302.This forming can be achieved by etching away excess portions of theamorphous metal film to form a specific shape for the amorphous metalfilm 302.

At step 330, the process includes forming an emitter-base tunnelinginsulator on the amorphous metal film 302. The tunneling insulator 306completely covers the amorphous metal film 302. In this embodiment, thetunneling insulator 306 is a conformal layer. In other embodiments, thetunneling insulator may be formed in a different manner, such as onlycovering a top surface of the amorphous metal film 302 or only coveringa portion of the top surface of the amorphous metal film 302 that isassociated with the area of overlap of the first and second electrodes.

At step 332, the process includes selectively etching the emitter-basetunneling insulator forming the second thickness 316 associated with thesecond electrode, i.e., the base electrode. At step 334, the processincludes forming base and emitter electrodes, i.e., the first and secondelectrodes. This can be achieved by a deposition and etching to form theshapes of the first and second electrodes.

At 336, the process includes forming a collector-base insulator on thefirst and second electrodes. Openings, such as opening 340 are formed inthe collector-base insulator (insulator 318) to provide access to thefirst and second electrodes.

At 338, the process includes forming a collector electrode and othercontacts, such as the third electrode 320 and the contact 322.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are an alternative embodiment of the presentdisclosure directed to a transistor structure 400 having base andemitter electrodes of different dimensions. The transistor structureincludes an amorphous metal interconnect 402 on a planar substrate 404.The amorphous metal interconnect 402 is rectangular from the top downperspective and has a longest dimension that extends in a firstdirection, along the cross-section line 4B-4B.

A tunneling insulator 406 is on the interconnect 402. An emitterelectrode 408 is on the tunneling insulator 406. A base electrode 410 isalso on the tunneling insulator 406, spaced from the emitter electrode.Both the emitter and base electrodes are at least partially on top ofand overlap the interconnect 402.

The base electrode includes at least a portion 412 that is over andaligned with the interconnect 402 that has a first dimension 414 that issmaller than a second dimension 416 of the emitter electrode 408. Havingdifferent dimensions changes the operational properties of thetransistor giving the manufacturer the opportunity to tune thetransistor structure. For example, a gain of the transistor structurecan be increased by making the base electrode more thin. The baseelectrode and the emitter electrode may be the same material or may bedifferent materials.

The base electrode maybe formed to have a first thickness and thenthinned as shown, such that a first portion of the base electrode is thefirst thickness and a second portion of the base electrode is a secondthickness that is less than the first thickness. Alternatively, the baseelectrode can be formed in a different processing step from the emitterelectrode and formed to be thinner than the emitter electrode. Insteadof removing portions of the base electrode once formed, the baseelectrode can be formed as a thinner layer than the emitter electrode.

A first dielectric layer 418 is formed on the base and emitterelectrodes. A collector electrode 420 is formed on the first dielectriclayer 418. A contact 422 to the base electrode can be formed at the sametime and from the same material as the collector electrode. An openingthrough the first dielectric layer is formed to allow contact to thebase electrode. Another contact 424 can be formed to the emitterelectrode in a similar manner.

A second dielectric layer 426 may be formed on the collector electrodeand contacts 422, 424. In some embodiments, a contact 428 is formedthrough the second dielectric layer 426 to couple the collector terminalto another device.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are top and cross-sectional views of a transistorstructure 500 formed in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent disclosure. This transistor structure 500 includes an amorphousmetal layer 502 formed on a substrate 504. A tunneling oxide layer 506is formed on the amorphous metal layer 502. A barrier layer 508 isformed on the tunneling oxide layer 506. The barrier layer 508 can be aninorganic material, such as a metal oxide or an organic material, suchas a polymer, or any suitable material. The barrier layer 508 canminimize parasitic capacitance that can occur due to the amorphous metaland electrode overlaps.

A first opening 510 is formed in the barrier layer 508. A firstelectrode 512 is formed in the first opening 510. The first electrodeoverlaps the amorphous metal layer 502. A second opening 507 is formedin the barrier layer 508 overlapping a portion of the amorphous metallayer 502. A second electrode 514 is formed to overlap the amorphousmetal layer 502 and a portion of the second electrode is in the secondopening 507.

A dielectric layer 516 is formed on the first and second electrodes 512,514. A third electrode 518 is formed on the dielectric layer. In thisembodiment and in other described in this disclosure, none of the layersare planarized. In other embodiments, each layer or ones of the layerscan be planarized as the end product may dictate.

A fourth electrode 520 and a fifth electrode 522 couple to the firstelectrode 512 and the second electrode 514, respectively. The fourth andfifth electrodes 520, 522 can be formed at the same time, from the samematerial as the third electrode 518.

The first and second electrodes of this embodiment or any embodiment ofthe present disclosure may be formed of ultra-thin, 2-D conductors, suchas graphene, MoS₂, W₂, Ti₃C₂, GaN, BN, Ca₂N, or other suitablematerials. The different materials can be selected to adjust the gain ofthe transistor structure. In some embodiments, the first electrode is aatomically thin layer of conductive material and the second electrode isa significantly thicker layer of conductive material. The conductivematerials for these layers may be different types of conductors.

FIG. 6 is an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure thatincludes a transistor structure 600 having an amorphous metal layer 602formed in a recess 604 of a substrate 606. A first surface 608 of theamorphous metal layer 602 is coplanar with a first surface 610 of thesubstrate 606.

A tunneling oxide layer 612 is formed on the amorphous metal layer 602and the first surface of the substrate. First and second electrodes 614,616 are formed on the tunneling oxide layer 612. The first electrode 614overlaps a first portion of the amorphous metal layer and the secondelectrode 616 overlaps a second portion of the amorphous metal layer.

A first dielectric layer 618 is on the first and second electrodes. Athird electrode 620 is formed on a planar surface of the firstdielectric layer 618. A second dielectric layer 622 is on the thirdelectrode.

FIG. 7 is an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure having atransistor structure 700 with an amorphous metal layer 702 on a planarsurface of a substrate 704. A tunneling oxide layer 706 is on theamorphous metal layer 702. Sides 708 of the amorphous metal layer 702and sides 710 of the tunneling oxide layer 706 are coplanar. This can beachieved by forming an amorphous layer, forming a tunneling oxide layer,and then etching both layers at the same time.

First and second electrodes 712, 714 are formed on the tunneling oxidelayer. A dielectric layer 716 is formed on the first and secondelectrodes. A third electrode 718 is formed on the dielectric layer 716.

FIG. 8 is a common base transistor structure formed in accordance with atransistor structure of the present disclosure. An amorphous hotelectron transistor 800 have an emitter E, a base B, and a collector C.The base is coupled to ground. The collector is coupled to a resistorR_(L), which represents a load and could be another circuit. A voltagesupply V_(BC) is coupled between ground and the resistor R_(L). Avoltage supply V_(BE) is coupled between ground and the resistor R_(in).A current supply 802 is coupled between the voltage supply V_(BE) andthe resistor R_(in). The resistor R_(in) is coupled to the emitter E.

FIG. 9 is a common emitter transistor 900 formed in accordance with atransistor structure of the present disclosure. The transistor 900 is anamorphous hot electron transistor having an emitter E, a base B, and acollector C. The emitter is coupled to ground. The collector is coupledto a resistor R_(L), which represents a load and could be anothercircuit. A voltage supply V_(CE) is coupled between ground and theresistor R_(L). A voltage supply V_(BE) is coupled between ground andthe resistor R_(in). A current supply 902 is coupled between the voltagesupply V_(BE) and the resistor R_(in). The resistor R_(in) is coupled tothe base B.

FIG. 10 is a common collector transistor 1000 formed in accordance witha transistor structure of the present disclosure. The transistor 1000 isan amorphous hot electron transistor having an emitter E, a base B, anda collector C. The emitter E is coupled to ground through resistorR_(L), which represents a load and could be another circuit. A voltagesupply V_(CE) is coupled between ground and the collector C. A voltagesupply V_(BE) is coupled between ground and the resistor R_(in). Acurrent supply 1002 is coupled between the voltage supply V_(BE) and theresistor R_(in). The resistor R_(in) is coupled to the base B.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are a single stage common emitter amplifier circuitand a related signal representation. This is a representation ofincorporating an AMHET into common circuits, such as amplifiers. In FIG.11B, a DC bias voltage Q is illustrated. This bias voltage Q is appliedto a junction where a first resistor R_(in), a second resistor R₂, and afirst capacitor C₁ are coupled together and coupled to the AMHET1100.There is a voltage in V_(in), applied between ground and a plate of thefirst capacitor C₁. A voltage V_(CC) is coupled to the first resistor R₁and a load resistor R_(L). A second capacitor C₂ is coupled between athird resistor R_(E) and ground. An output signal V_(OUT), is anamplified signal illustrated in FIG. 11B.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are circuit schematics incorporating multipletransistors of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 includes a first AMHET(amorphous metal hot electron transistor) 1200 and a second AMHET 1202in a flip-flop arrangement. Each of the emitters E of the first andsecond AMHETs are coupled to ground. Each of the bases B are coupled tofirst resistors 1204, 1206. Each of the first resistors are also coupledto the voltage supply V_(BB). The base B of the first AMHET 1200 iscoupled to a second resistor 1208. The second resistor 1208 is coupledto the collector C of the second AMHET 1202 through a third resistor1210. The base B of the second AMHET 1202 is coupled to the collector Cof the first AMHET 1200. A fourth resistor 1212 is coupled between thecollector C of the first AMHET and a voltage supply V_(CC). A fifthresistor 1214 is coupled between the collector of the second AMHET andthe voltage supply V_(CC).

This AMHET flip flop structure can be integrated into various switchingapplications, such as counters, shift registers, clock pulse generators,or other circuits. These can be integrated in memory circuits, relaycontrol functions, or other functions, such as in radar applications orcommunication systems. Capacitive components can be included to shapesignals for the end application.

FIG. 13 is an alternative embodiment of a circuit structure including afirst AMHET 1300 and a second AMHET 1302. An emitter E of the firstAMHET is coupled to a base B of the second AMHET. Collectors of thefirst and second AMHET are coupled together. A base of the first AMHET1300 is coupled to a resistor R_(B), which represents a load or anothercircuit. The collectors C are coupled to a resistor R_(L), whichrepresent a load or another circuit. The resistor R_(L) is coupled to avoltage V_(CC). An emitter E of the second AMHET 1302 is coupled toground.

FIG. 14 is a transistor structure of the present disclosure in an array.The array can be incorporated into a display or may be integrated withsensors, such as in an x-ray detector. The array 1400 includes aplurality of rows 1404 and a plurality of columns 1402. Each row canconduct a base signal to AMHET transistors 1401 of the array. Eachcolumn can conduct emitter signals to the AMHET transistors 1401. TheAMHET transistor 1401 includes an amorphous metal layer 1406. An emitterelectrode 1410 overlaps the amorphous metal layer 1406 and couples tothe column 1402. A base electrode 1408 overlaps the amorphous metallayer 1408 and couples to the row 1404. A collector electrode andcontact 1414 overlap the amorphous metal layer 1406 and the baseelectrode 1408. The collector electrode 1414 is coupled to other pixelor cell control elements. The collector electrode 1414 may be coupled toa capacitor or other transistor.

This AMHET transistor 1401 could be operated as a matrix switch incommon base, common emitter, or common collector modes. This particularillustration is a common emitter configuration. Such a matrix switchallows for a single element to be controlled.

A plurality of AMHET transistors 1401 can be incorporated into a varietyof active matrix display technologies, such as liquid crystal displays,organic light emitting diode displays, electrophoretic,electroluminescent, etc. Each specific active matrix application willhave additional circuit elements to form the display. Some of theelements, such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, other transistors, orother electronic components can be formed in the same processing stepsas the AMHET or in subsequent processing. FIG. 15 is an example of anliquid crystal display circuit 1500 that includes an AMHET 1502. Anemitter E of the AMHET 1502 is coupled to a storage capacitor 1504 and aliquid crystal capacitor 1506. Each of the storage capacitor 1504 andthe liquid crystal capacitor 1506 are also coupled to ground. A base ofthe AMHET 1502 is coupled to a resistor R_(B). A collector of the AMHET1502 is coupled to a resistor R_(L).

FIG. 16 is a circuit 1600 to drive an organic light emitting diode(OLED) 1602 that includes a first AMHET 1604 and a second AMHET 1606. Anemitter E of the first AMHET is coupled to a base of the second AMHET. Astorage capacitor is coupled between the base of the second AMHET andground. An emitter of the second AMHET is coupled to the OLED.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. U.S. Provisional Application 62/359,596, filed Jul.7, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a non-conductingsubstrate; an amorphous metal layer on the non-conducting substrate; atunneling dielectric layer on the amorphous metal layer; a firstelectrode and a second electrode on the tunneling dielectric layer, eachoverlapping the amorphous metal layer; a second dielectric layer on thefirst and second electrodes; and a third electrode on the seconddielectric layer, the third electrode overlapping the second electrodeand the amorphous metal layer, the first and second electrodes beingbetween the third electrode and the amorphous metal layer.
 2. The deviceof claim 1 wherein the first and second electrodes are a crystallinemetal on the tunneling dielectric layer.
 3. The device of claim 1wherein the first electrode is a first conductive material and thesecond electrode is a second conductive material that is different fromthe first conductive material.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein thefirst electrode and the second electrode are the same conductivematerial.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein the tunneling dielectriclayer includes a metal oxide or a metal nitride.
 6. The device of claim1 wherein the first electrode has a first thickness and the secondelectrode has a second thickness that is different from the firstthickness.
 7. The device of claim 1 wherein the tunneling dielectriclayer includes a recess and the second electrode is in the recess. 8.The device of claim 7 wherein the recess overlaps and is aligned withthe amorphous metal layer.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein theamorphous metal layer has a longest dimension along a first direction,the first and second electrodes have a longest dimension along a seconddirection that is transverse to the first direction.
 10. The device ofclaim 1, further comprising a first terminal coupled to the firstelectrode and a second terminal coupled to the second electrode.
 11. Thedevice of claim 10 wherein the first terminal couples to the firstelectrode through the second dielectric layer and the second terminalcouples to the second electrode through the second dielectric layer. 12.A device, comprising: a substrate; an amorphous metal layer on thesubstrate, the amorphous metal layer having a length extending along afirst direction and a width extending along a second direction that istransverse to the first direction; a tunneling oxide layer on theamorphous metal layer; an emitter electrode on the tunneling oxidelayer, the emitter electrode overlapping a first portion of theamorphous metal layer, the emitter electrode having a length extendingalong the second direction and a width extending along the firstdirection; a base electrode on the tunneling oxide layer, the baseelectrode overlapping a second portion of the amorphous metal layer, thebase electrode having a length extending along the second direction anda width extending along the first direction; an insulator on the emitterelectrode and the base electrode; and a collector electrode on theinsulator, the collector electrode overlapping the base electrode andthe second portion of the amorphous metal layer.
 13. The device of claim12 wherein the collector electrode has a length extending along thefirst direction and a width extending along the second direction, thewidth being smaller than the length.
 14. The device of claim 12 whereinthe length of the emitter electrode is greater than the width of theemitter electrode and the length of the base electrode is greater thanthe width of the base electrode.
 15. A device, comprising: a substrate;an amorphous metal layer on the substrate; a first insulator on theamorphous metal layer; a first electrode on the first insulator andoverlapping a first portion of the amorphous metal layer; a secondelectrode on the first insulator and overlapping a second portion of theamorphous metal layer; a second insulator; a first contact through thesecond insulator and coupled to the first electrode; a second contactthrough the second insulator and coupled to the second electrode; and athird electrode on the second insulator and overlapping the secondportion of the amorphous metal layer.
 16. The device of claim 15,further comprising: a fourth electrode on the second insulator andoverlapping the first portion of the amorphous metal layer.
 17. Thedevice of claim 15 wherein the first electrode is thicker than thesecond electrode.
 18. The device of claim 15, further comprising a thirdinsulator between the first insulator and the first and secondelectrodes.
 19. The device of claim 18, further comprising a firstopening in the third insulator at the first portion of the amorphousmetal layer and a second opening in the third insulator at the secondportion of the amorphous metal layer.
 20. A device, comprising: anon-conducting substrate; an amorphous metal layer on the non-conductingsubstrate; a tunneling dielectric layer on the amorphous metal layer; afirst electrode and a second electrode on the tunneling dielectriclayer, each overlapping the amorphous metal layer; a second dielectriclayer on the first and second electrodes; and a third electrode on thesecond dielectric layer, the third electrode overlapping the secondelectrode and the amorphous metal layer, wherein a thickness of a firstportion of the tunneling dielectric layer between the first electrodeand the amorphous metal layer is greater than a thickness of a secondportion of the tunneling dielectric layer between the second electrodeand the amorphous metal layer.
 21. The device of claim 20, furthercomprising a first contact coupled to the first electrode and a secondcontact coupled to the second electrode.